National Symphony Orchestra to Perform at CUA

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will take its 2015 NSO In Your Neighborhood series to the Brookland and NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., between Jan. 6 and 12. The series will culminate in a concert led by NSO Music Director Christoph Eschenbach at The Catholic University of America’s Hartke Theatre Jan. 12.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for our students to learn from the members of the National Symphony, but this event is also a wonderful representation of the importance of our home, the beautiful Brookland neighborhood with its many community organizations that are doing such great work,” said Grayson Wagstaff, dean of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music.

“The concert will also be the inaugural event in our yearlong celebration that will highlight all the different programs of the School of Music, from orchestral music, to opera and musical theatre, to piano and our divisions of music education, composition, and musicology.”

During the series, the NSO will perform orchestral concerts and work with nearly 20 community partners, including CUA, to host community engagement activities and chamber music performances in schools, libraries, daycare centers, and community centers.

“We’re delighted that the 2015 NSO In Your Neighborhood project will enable NSO musicians to perform in the wonderfully vibrant areas of Brookland and NoMa. Our musicians enjoy creating a great variety of programs in response to the suggestions of our community partners, as well as having the opportunity to perform in many non-traditional settings,” said NSO Executive Director Rita Shapiro.

“Music Director Christoph Eschenbach and the orchestra look forward as well to performing on the campus of Catholic University, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of their music department.”

Throughout 2015, the music school will host a series of special events honoring its anniversary, including a full program by the CUA Symphony Orchestra and choruses at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall on Sunday, April 12, at 8 p.m.

A number of events in both the spring and fall of 2015, including a concert of newly composed music for the Stations of the Cross and a celebration of Catholic mission music from Bolivia, will feature the uniquely Catholic traditions emphasized in the mission of the music school, Wagstaff noted.

Additional anniversary events will include a performance of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” March 19 and the musical “Most Happy Fella” Oct. 22 to 25.

For more information about the music school’s 50th anniversary celebration, visit www.music.cua.edu.